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Aerial photos courtesy of Midwest Members Credit Union Sky Drone
ALTON - The sun was shining, the skies were a bright blue and the St. Mary’s Catholic Church cross stood tall once again Wednesday morning.
The new metal cross replaces a previous historical cross that was destroyed in a wind/thunderstorm in late July 2017.
“This is a beautiful moment,” Father Jeremy Paulin said. “I think the new cross has tremendous meaning. When it came down with the wind storm two years ago, it was kind of a shock to the parish. Fortunately, it came down on a Saturday night. When the priest went out to unlock the doors on Sunday, he noticed it was down. It could have done serious harm to parishioners if it had fallen down at a different time.”
A huge fundraising effort called “The Lift High the Cross Campaign” developed for the new cross to raise $50,000 for it and other church repairs.
Alton Sheet and Metal on Broadway in Alton worked with St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the project. Jensen Fabrication in Alton cut up the old cross and crosses were provided to donors, which was also special, Paulin said.
Around 10 a.m. Wednesday, a crane lifted the new cross to its final resting place on top of the historic Alton Catholic church.
“It is a beautiful site to see the kids play in the park and see the crane just over the church bell tower,” Father Paulin said. “It is truly a beautiful moment. It is kind of ironic we had a tornado warnings last night and today we couldn’t ask for a better day.”
Aerial photos courtesy of Midwest Members Credit Union Sky Drone. To learn more about The One Place to Go for All Your Financial Needs visit http://www.midmembers.org/Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
